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A Democratic congressman has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an inquiry into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Pressure for Evidence

The statement from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal status, he should respond to requests for details about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life while in government custody six years ago.

“Just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

Political Environment and Probe Progress

Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Interest in the case flared in July, after the Department of Justice revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The congressional probe has so far led to the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Challenges

As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

“This is what my effort with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The petition has been signed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.